Michael Jordan signed a shoe deal with Nike in 1984, revolutionizing the sneaker industry. The ‘Air Jordan’ brand and Nike became synonymous with Michael Jordan, who became the face of the Oregon-based brand since then. Rapper Shad Moss recently appeared on the ‘UnderGround Lounge’ podcast and talked to Lou Williams about an interesting incident involving the 6x NBA champion.
He shared a hilarious story about how Michael Jordan threw away his Reebok ‘Allen Iverson’ special edition shoes while he stayed at Jordan’s place during his tours in Chicago.
When MJ’s son, Marcus Jordan, saw Shad Moss wearing the Reebok A.I. shoes, he tried warning the rapper about his father’s wrath. “Why the f**k are you wearing Reeboks in this house? You know my dad is going to see that s**t and wild out,” Marcus reacted, seeing Shad Moss’ shoes when he met the rapper at his home’s gate.
It didn’t take long enough for Michael Jordan to discover that the guest at his house had done a ‘blasphemous’ activity of wearing Reeboks at the Jordan household. The following morning, Shad Moss heard Michael Jordan complaining about his guest’s A.I. shoes to his head of security, John Michael.
Referring to MJ as Marcus’ dad, Shad Moss recalled waking up to a barrage of questions about his shoes from the Chicago Bulls legend. Speaking to his head of security, Jordan arranged for those shoes to be thrown out of his house. “I have never seen them Iversons to that day. Them motherf**kers is gone,” the rapper recalled. It was clear that MJ only preferred shoes with Swooshes or his Jumpman logo to claim entrance to his house.
Marcus Jordan confirmed Shad Moss’ story to be true
Many people have stories to share about Michael Jordan. However, Shad Moss’s story was interestingly true, given that Marcus Jordan himself confirmed the same. Sharing the podcast clip on his Instagram story, Marcus wrote, “No lies told,” with two laughing emojis and a 100 sign emoji.
This isn’t the only instance of MJ being particular about his brand within his vicinity. There are accounts that Jordan wouldn’t even let his children wear any brand other than his. Marcus admitted on ‘The Breakfast Club’ how MJ had once even thrown Bow Wow (Shad Moss)’s Converses earlier. On the other hand, MJ’s daughter Jasmine Jordan added how her father would not let her wear light-up Skechers even as a 7-year-old.
MJ is evidently serious about his brand, given that his trademark and likeness have made Air Jordan the most glorified sneaker brand of all time. He introduced the sneaker culture from basketball to the mainstream, with Air Jordans and other Jordan brand products quickly adapted by the public for regular use and within fashion trends.